By RON FOURNIER
The Associated Press
One week into America’s election limbo, the secretary of state of Florida certified George W. Bush’s fragile lead, even as thousands of disputed ballots were counted into the night at the behest of Al Gore.
“When is it going to end?” asked Bush aide James A. Baker III.
There was no answer in sight.
Baker floated a proposal to cease the ballot-by-ballot fight for Florida’s 25 electoral votes and the White House, but Democrats said he offered nothing new - and dismissed it outright. With lawyers and judges front and center in the presidential election, nerves began to fray and adjectives failed to serve.
“It’s like the seventh day of being held hostage,” stammered Jeb Bush, governor of Florida and the harried brother of the GOP presidential hopeful.
Secretary of State Katherine Harris, a Republican Bush supporter, announced Tuesday night that the Texas governor had a 300-vote lead out of 6 million votes cast - with overseas absentee ballots and ongoing recount totals pending.
Her announcement came almost three hours after a 5 p.m. vote-counting deadline, upheld earlier by state Judge Terry Lewis. He turned aside Gore’s arguments to lift the deadline, but gave Harris the authority to accept or reject follow-up manual recount totals.
Lewis’ decision was a setback for the vice president, who wanted a clear order erasing the Tuesday deadline. His lawyers found solace in Lewis urging Harris to consider “all appropriate facts and circumstances” when recount totals are filed.
In another blow for Gore, Democratic-leaning Miami-Dade County refused his request for a recount and a second, Broward, also was inclined to reject Gore’s request. A third jurisdiction, Volusia County, finished its recount Tuesday with gains for Gore. A fourth county, Palm Beach, begins its recounts Wednesday and Democrats hope to cut deeply into Bush’s lead there.
Harris said she will require counties filing late recount numbers to explain in writing by 2 p.m. Wednesday why new vote totals should be accepted. “Unless I determine, in the exercise of my discretion, that these facts and circumstances
